French Language Pronunciation and Phonetics Syllabus

In the word "bon" /bɔ̃/, is the final n pronounced as a consonant? Explain.

No. The n is silent as a consonant; it merely marks that the preceding vowel is the nasal /ɔ̃/. You hear a single nasalized vowel, not vowel + /n/.

State the rule that determines whether "vowel + n/m" is nasalized or oral.

The vowel is nasalized only when the n/m is at the end of a word or followed by another consonant (e.g., "vin", "tomber"). If the n/m is followed by a vowel or is doubled, the vowel stays ORAL and the n/m is pronounced (e.g., "vinaigre", "bonne", "année").

Compare the pronunciation of "bon" and "bonne".

"bon" = /bɔ̃/ — a nasal vowel, silent n. "bonne" = /bɔn/ — an oral vowel /ɔ/ followed by a pronounced /n/, because the doubled nn blocks nasalization. The doubled consonant + final e forces the oral reading.

Why is "an" nasal but "ane" (as in "âne") oral?

In "an", the n is word-final with no following vowel, so the vowel nasalizes to /ɑ̃/. In "âne", the n is followed by the vowel e, so the n is pronounced as a consonant and the vowel /ɑ/ stays oral: /ɑn/.

List the common spelling patterns that produce the nasal sound /ɛ̃/.

/ɛ̃/ is spelled: in (vin), im (impossible), ain (pain), aim (faim), ein (plein), yn (syndicat), ym (sympa), and often -en after i (bien /bjɛ̃/).

Which spellings produce the nasal /ɑ̃/, and which produce /ɔ̃/?

/ɑ̃/ is spelled an, am, en, em (blanc, chambre, vent, temps). /ɔ̃/ is spelled on, om (bon, nombre). Note am/em nasalize before b/p just as an/en do.

Why are m rather than n used before b and p in nasal spellings? Give examples.

By French spelling convention, before the letters b and p the nasal is written with m instead of n. Examples: "chambre", "temps", "important", "nombre" — all still produce the same nasal vowels.

Define liaison in French.

Liaison is the pronunciation of a normally silent final consonant when the next word begins with a vowel or mute h, linking the two words (e.g., "les amis" → /le‿z‿ami/, the silent s becomes /z/).

In liaison, what sounds do a final s, x, or d take on?

A liaison s or x is pronounced /z/ (e.g., "les enfants", "deux heures"), and a liaison d is pronounced /t/ (e.g., "un grand homme" → /grɑ̃t‿ɔm/). Liaison consonants often change voicing/place from their spelling.

Give three cases of COMPULSORY (obligatory) liaison.

Obligatory liaisons occur: (1) after a determiner + noun/adjective (les_amis, mon_ami, deux_ans); (2) between a pronoun and its verb (nous_avons, ils_ont); (3) after short prepositions and adverbs like "en", "chez", "très", "bien" before a vowel (en_avion, très_important).

Give three cases of FORBIDDEN (interdite) liaison.

Forbidden liaisons: (1) after a singular noun (un enfant / un garçon‖intelligent — no liaison); (2) before an aspirated h (les‖héros, en‖haut); (3) after the conjunction "et" (et‖il); also before/after proper nouns and after interrogative "comment".

What is the difference between an "aspirated h" (h aspiré) and a "mute h" (h muet) regarding liaison and elision?

Both h's are silent, but a mute h behaves like a vowel — it ALLOWS liaison and elision (l'homme, les_hommes). An aspirated h behaves like a consonant — it BLOCKS liaison and elision (le héros, les‖héros, la‖hache).

Define elision in French and give the main words affected.

Elision is the dropping of a final vowel (usually e, a, or i) before a word beginning with a vowel or mute h, replaced by an apostrophe. It occurs with le/la → l', je → j', ne → n', de → d', que → qu', se → s', ce → c', me/te, and "si" → s' only before il/ils.

Show how elision applies to "le" and "la" versus "les".

"le"/"la" elide before a vowel: le + arbre → l'arbre, la + école → l'école. But "les" does NOT elide — instead it triggers liaison: les arbres → /le‿z‿aʁbʁ/. Elision affects only single-vowel words, not those ending in a consonant.

Why is "si" special with respect to elision?

"si" (if) elides ONLY before "il" and "ils": s'il, s'ils. It does not elide before "elle" or other vowels (si elle, si on). This is a fixed exception in French elision rules.

Define enchaînement and distinguish it from liaison.

Enchaînement is the re-syllabification of a normally PRONOUNCED final consonant onto the following vowel-initial word (e.g., "elle est" → /ɛ‿lɛ/, the /l/ links forward). Unlike liaison, no silent consonant is being activated — the consonant was already pronounced.

What is vowel enchaînement (vocalic linking)?

Vocalic enchaînement is the smooth linking of a word ending in a vowel to a word beginning with a vowel, with no glottal stop between them (e.g., "il a été" flows as one continuous stream /ilaete/). French avoids the hard vowel breaks common in English/German.

Name the three main French accents that can appear over vowels and give an example of each.

Accent aigu (´): é, as in "café". Accent grave (`): è, à, ù, as in "mère", "à", "où". Accent circonflexe (ˆ): â, ê, î, ô, û, as in "forêt", "hôpital".

What is the function of the accent aigu (´), and on which vowel does it appear?

The accent aigu appears only on E, giving é, pronounced /e/ (closed e, as in "été", "parler"). It marks a specific vowel quality distinct from unaccented e or è.

Contrast the pronunciation effect of accent aigu vs accent grave on e.

é (aigu) = /e/, a closed e (été). è (grave) = /ɛ/, an open e (mère, très). The accent choice directly changes the vowel sound, unlike the grave on a/u which changes only meaning.

Does the accent grave change pronunciation on all vowels? Explain with à and è.

No. On e, è changes the sound to open /ɛ/ (père). On a and u, the grave (à, où, là) does NOT change pronunciation — it only distinguishes homographs (à "to" vs a "has"; où "where" vs ou "or").

What does the accent circonflexe often indicate historically, and does it change pronunciation?

The circonflexe often marks a lost letter, usually an old s (forêt ← forest, hôpital ← hospital, île ← isle). On a, e, o it may slightly affect vowel quality (ê = /ɛ/), but on i and u it is often purely orthographic/etymological.

What is the cédille (ç), where is it used, and what does it do?

The cédille is the hook under c (ç), used only before a, o, u to force the soft /s/ sound instead of the hard /k/. Example: "français" /fʁɑ̃sɛ/, "garçon" /ɡaʁsɔ̃/. Before e and i, c is already soft, so no cédille is needed.

What is the tréma (¨), and what is its function? Give an example.

The tréma is two dots over a vowel indicating that it must be pronounced SEPARATELY from the preceding vowel, breaking a would-be digraph. Example: "naïf" /naif/ (a and i pronounced separately), "Noël" /nɔɛl/, "maïs" /mais/ vs "mais" /mɛ/.

Compare "maïs" and "mais" to show the tréma's effect.

"mais" (but) = /mɛ/, where ai forms a single vowel. "maïs" (corn) = /ma.is/, where the tréma splits ai into two separate vowels. The tréma changes both pronunciation and meaning.

How does French word/sentence stress differ from English?

French has no strong lexical stress on individual words; instead, stress falls predictably on the LAST syllable of a rhythm group (groupe rythmique). English stresses vary per word and are heavier; French stress is light and phrase-final, giving French its even, syllable-timed rhythm.

What is a rhythm group (groupe rythmique) and where does its stress fall?

A rhythm group is a short cluster of words forming one sense unit (e.g., a noun + its article + adjective) pronounced together. All syllables are roughly equal in length except the FINAL syllable of the group, which receives a slight lengthening/stress.

Describe the typical intonation of a French declarative (statement) sentence.

A neutral statement uses FALLING intonation: the pitch may rise gently through internal rhythm groups and then falls on the final syllable of the sentence, signaling completion (e.g., "Il va à Paris." ↘).

Contrast the intonation of a yes/no question asked by intonation alone versus a wh-question.

A yes/no question formed by intonation (e.g., "Tu viens?") uses RISING intonation — pitch rises on the final syllable. A wh-/information question (e.g., "Où vas-tu?") typically uses FALLING intonation, ending low, similar to a statement.

How does intonation distinguish "Tu viens." from "Tu viens?" in spoken French?

Both have identical words and word order; only intonation differs. "Tu viens." falls at the end (statement). "Tu viens?" rises at the end (yes/no question). Rising final pitch is the primary spoken marker of an intonation question.